SaaS: BlueTie Launches “Hybrid” Exchange 2010 Messaging

When it comes to the cloud, “hybrid” usually means a combination of on premise and software as a service. But now BlueTie has launched a so-called hybrid messaging solution that integrates their home-grown platform with hosted Microsoft Exchange 2010. Here’s the scoop.

The idea, according to BlueTie’s press release, is to give administrators and the enterprises they serve the option to choose between Exchange and BlueTie on a per-user basis on the fly.

If the user needs the advanced features of Exchange, put them on a BlueTie-provided hosted plan. If they don’t need the full range of Microsoft support, put them on BlueTie’s hosted house brand. And this new offering lets the two integrate under a single management interface.

BlueTie’s offering hinges on their belief that hosted e-mail is cheaper and better than legacy systems. And by enabling enterprises to save money by skipping Exchange — but still selling value-adds like archiving — they may have an MSP-worthy offering. Though of course one should keep the proposed $5 SaaS mailbox rule in mind when pricing up a messaging provider.

2 comments

We would agree that the $5 mailbox rule is a solid bench mark, for now. However, we know, just like every MSP knows, you’re not going to generate significantly interesting revenue from $5 mailboxes, especially when you’re only making pennies or a dollar. While with BlueTie you can make 3 or 4 times that per mailbox, the mailbox isn’t just about revenue, it’s about establishing (or reinforcing) your services with your customer. You provide them with a highly reliable application where they likely spend more time each day than they do on all other applications they use combined. Are there thoughts on how much value does that produce vs other hosted products or managed services?

Jeremy: Thanks for the note. Since I’m not familiar with BlueTie I can’t really comment on the value of specific services. But I look forward to learning more. And generally speaking, I think it’s safe to say hosted Exchange is a check-mark for most MSPs — something they need to offer but not necessarily a strategic revenue generator.
-jp

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